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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $475.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

VR, supersharp, not to heavy, not too expensive

Cons:

only for DX

When I decided to buy a macro lens my choices (after a lot of internet research) came down to: Tamron 90mm, Nikon 60mm AFS, Nikon 105mm (old model, 2nd hand) or the new 85mm VR. The 105 had already been sold when I arrived at the camera shop, I realized that 60mm was too short, the new 105VR too expensive so it would be either the Tamron or the 85 mm Nikon, to be used on my D300s.

Purely based on trying the two lenses in the shop I bought the Nikon, because the Tamron was slow in focussing, made a lot of noise and extended its tube when getting closer.

I do not regret my choice because the Nikon gives me supersharp images. The VR is a great addition because sometimes you are in strange positions to capture a particular insect and you can move around faster too without a tripod. Also the focussing is quite fast and very silent. And as a bonus it is a great portret lens. Higly recommended!!

Pa

Registered: April 2010Posts: 1

Nikon 85mm f/3.5G ED VR DX AF-S Micro Nikkor review by Pa

Review Date: 4/14/2010

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $479.00| Rating: 9

I have owned this lens for about a month and have used it quite a bit. Having previously owned a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro, I prefer this lens. The optical performance is similar, but the handling and autofocus is far better. I especially like the manual focus override feature common to all Nikon AF-S lenses. And the very effective vibration reduction feature is a real plus which the Tamron can't match.

The SLR Gear review was relatively lukewarm, yet if you compare the blur plots of this lens with the legendary Nikkor 200mm f/4 micro, this new 85 is actually better at f/8 and smaller apertures, which is where I use it most.

I also own a Nikkor 200/4 micro, and can tell little difference in image quality between the two lenses. The 200 has the advantage of greater working distance, but the disadvantage of large size and weight.

This new 85 micro is the perfect macro lens for long hikes into the back country in search of wildflowers and small critters.